Remembrance
by SilverDawn97
Summary: In the memories of the heart, nothing is ever truly forgotten, or ever truly lost.


Remembrance

"No! My heart belongs to me!" Roxas shouted as he charged the red-robed figure. He wasn't surprised when the figure disappeared even as he swung his Keyblade, but he was surprised by what came next. A flash of white light shone through the room, and then the petals of the large metal bloom in center of the room began to lower. Looking inside the blooming metal flower, Roxas understood. "Sora…" he said, lowering his Keyblade as he looked upon the serene face of the boy who was indirectly responsible for so much of Roxas's pain. Taking a step forward, Roxas finally accepted what he knew was to come. "You're lucky." He said. A look of pain and sadness overwhelming his features, Roxas uttered his last words. "Looks like my summer vacation is… Over." With those words, Roxas felt a deep sadness as his body began to fade away, like motes of light caught in a sudden breeze.

Roxas didn't think he would ever feel a single thing after that moment. That's why he found it so surprising when he felt the warm rays of the sun upon his face. Opening his eyes, his gaze was met with the sight of the bright blue sky above. Sitting upright, he found himself sitting on the sunny white beach of a world he had never been to before, but one that he knew well. Looking over to his left, he saw a small island standing tall among the waves that gently lapped against the shore. But it wasn't the island that drew his attention, but the long black coat he saw hanging of the end of the Paopu tree sitting on the far edge of the island. Rushing over to the opposite end of the bridge connecting the main island to this little islet, Roxas quickly scrambled up the wall and clambered up and over onto the end of the bridge. Looking over to the islet, he saw a young girl with short black hair, about the same age as him, sitting on the curving trunk of the Paopu tree he had seen earlier in a short, flowing black dress reminiscent of the one he had seen Naminé wearing in Twilight Town. Walking across the bridge towards her, Roxas couldn't help but wonder why this girl seemed so familiar to him.

Walking up to the tree trunk, Roxas stepped up onto the trunk, then took a seat beside the girl. Looking over at her, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he knew her; he just didn't know from where he knew her. Seeing him look over at her again after so long, and so many trials and tribulations, the girl couldn't help but let a few tears roll down her face.

"It's good to see you again, Roxas." The girl said. "I'm guessing you don't remember me." And she was right. Try as he might, Roxas couldn't remember her. Turning to face him, Roxas didn't resist as she wrapped her arms around him in a heartfelt hug. "My name is Xion" she said. "It's good to see you again."

Sitting there in the embrace of the girl who was once his dearest friend, and so much more, Roxas began to remember. He remembered all the days he spent among the Organization, and how he spent them alongside his two friends. He remembered the loss of Xion's keyblade, her attempts at fleeing the Organization… And their last day together, sitting atop the clock tower. He remembered how he felt that day, so overwhelmed by all that had happened within the Organization, and how happy he had felt to see Xion again. He remembered how he had begun to feel about her after all their time together, through the ups and downs, and how conflicted he felt, knowing that Nobodies like him and Xion weren't supposed to feel anything at all. He remembered… He remembered their fight, and how he held her dying body in his arms, and her final request of him: That he set free the hearts contained within Kingdom Hearts, to dismantle Xemnas's plans. He remembered the tears falling down his face as his dearest friend, the girl who could have become so much more, faded away. Wrapping his arms around Xion to return her embrace, Roxas felt his tears flowing freely once more.

He felt no shame as his tears hit the ground. "Xion… I'm so sorry." He said. "I failed. I fought as hard as I could, but I just couldn't…"

"It's okay, Roxas." Xion said. She knew why he failed. It was because she had asked Riku to stop him, at any cost. She couldn't let him be captured by Xemnas again. But no matter how sound her reasons, she still felt sad at what happened. She felt accountable for every tear that Roxas shed. His sorrow in failing her was her fault. "You weren't ready to fight Xemnas, Roxas. If you had kept going, he would have caught you, and he would have forced you to harvest more hearts."

"I know." Roxas said, wiping away his tears. This caught Xion by surprise. If he knew he couldn't beat Xemnas, then why… "I knew I couldn't beat him." Roxas continued. "But I had to try. I had to do it, for you. I felt my memories of you slipping away, but I knew that I had to do it. I couldn't let you die in vain." At these words, Xion felt her tears renewed as she wrapped Roxas in her embrace once more.

"I'm so sorry, Roxas…" She said. "I never should have asked you… I never should have sent you into a fight you knew you couldn't win." She felt Roxas return her hug once more, holding her tightly as she let her tears flow down. "Roxas… I love you." She said, knowing he would reject her. After all she had done to hurt him, how couldn't he?

However, instead of retreating from her words, Roxas only held her tighter, and felt a tear of joy slide down his face. "I love you too, Xion." At these words, Xion felt a sense of surprise, but above all else, happiness. Pulling her head back from its resting place on Roxas's shoulder, she looked into his eyes, and felt happier than she ever had before. Moving forwards, she met no resistance as their lips met. The sun began to set on the horizon as they sat there, reunited once more, their hearts laid bare. Though theirs was a long and trying road, this was where it had led them: To each other, and to happiness in each other's embrace. They knew that their journey was not yet over, and that someday they would have to fight the forces of darkness once more. But in that precious moment, in that sense of serenity and bliss at being together once more, they didn't care. Because whatever they had to face, they would face it together.


End file.
